Murphy’s calls itself a steak house, but to us it looks more like a diner: counter and stools, bare-tabled booths, and a staff of waitresses who git ‘er done. The menu does include steaks, and those that we’ve seen on other people’s plates look large and good. Nevertheless, it’s not for steak that we recommend a visit to this 1940s-era eatery just east of the Osage Indian reservation. It is for a hot hamburger.
If you have pictured in your head some sort of beef patty in some sort of bun, erase that picture and consider this: pieces of toasted white bread spread out on a plate topped with a large hamburger that has been hacked into pieces, the burger topped with a mountain of French fries, and the French fries topped with a large spill of dark, beefy gravy as rich as a Mexican mole. It’s a magic combination, especially the way the crisp logs of fried potato soften in places where the gravy blankets them, imbibing a rich beefy savor for which squiggles of onion (an optional component) are an ideal accent. Even folks who come for steak instead of chopped-up hamburger know to order a side dish of fried potatoes with gravy.
Variations on the theme include a hot cheeseburger, hot beef, hot steak, and hot ham.
The front of Murphy’s menu is emblazoned with a motto that is one of our favorites: “Gravy Over All.” When anyone orders a hot hamburger, the motto becomes a question. The waitress asks, “Gravy over all?” We can’t imagine saying no.
Sunday | 11am - 9pm |
Monday | 11am - 9pm |
Tuesday | 11am - 9pm |
Wednesday | 11am - 9pm |
Thursday | 11am - 9pm |
Friday | 11am - 9pm |
Saturday | 11am - 9pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Hodges Bend
Tulsa, OklahomaBehold happy hour at Hodges Bend in Tulsa’s East Village: an ice cold martini and juicy, brioche-bunned burger with fries and pimento ketchup.
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Ike’s Chili House
Tulsa, OklahomaIke’s is an early 20th century urban chili parlor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eats are cheap and cross-counter attitude is served in abundance.
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Dilly Diner
Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa’s Dilly Diner serves an all-day breakfast that includes the hefty “Jed” — a doughy cinnamon roll that arrives on a dinner plate with a steak knife.
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Coney I-Lander
Tulsa, OklahomaA handful of Coney I-Lander restaurants around Tulsa serve beguiling little weenies topped with mustard, raw onions & no-bean chili. Cheese shreds optional.
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White River Fish Market
Tulsa, OklahomaA fish market and semi-cafeteria restaurant, White River is a Roadfood gem in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Have it your way: fried, broiled, grilled or raw (oysters).
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Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que
Bartlesville, OklahomaA Bartlesville, Oklahoma BBQ, Dink’s offers brisket, ribs and pork tenderloin. Décor is pop-culture West: steer horns, barbed wire, pix of cowboys & Indians.